| Rekava | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lester James Peries |
| Written by | Lester James Peries |
| Produced by | Lester James Peries |
| Starring | Ananda Weerakoon Somapala Dharmapriya D. R. Nanayakkara Myrtle Fernando |
| Cinematography | William Blake |
| Edited by | Titus de Silva |
| Music by | Sunil Shantha (songs) B. S. Perera (music direction and background score) Sisira Senaratne (songs Olu Nelum Neliya Rangala) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Language | Sinhala |
Rekava (Sinhala for "Line of Destiny") is a 1956 film based on village life and mythical beliefs in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). It is the first Sinhala film fully shot in Ceylon and was film shot outdoors in the country. It was also the first Sri Lankan film that was free from Indian influence. Many Sinhala films in that time were remakes of South Indian films and were not adapted to the Sri Lankan context, even having unnatural dialog.
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Rekava is Sri Lankan director Lester James Peries's first film and was Willie Blake's first time as cinematographer. The film was well-received internationally, having been shown at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival and was included in the main competition. [1]
It is still the only Sri Lankan film nominated for the Palme d'Or . Despite its critical acclaim, Rekava was not a commercial success in Sri Lanka due to its defiance of mainstream film tropes (i.e., boy-girl romance, fighting, comedy, and Hindi-language musicals). Since then, it has become one of the best-known Sinhala movies and is considered to mark the birth of the unique Sri Lankan cinema.
On 28 December 2006, the film was screened at Ceylon Theatre's Regal cinema at 5 pm to mark its premiere 50 years prior in the same theater on December 28, 1956. [2]